The food industry has, for many years, attempted to provide high protein, low cost fibrous proteinaceous material as a substitute for meat. This effort has been amplified recently due to the relative shortages and high price for natural meat products. Early efforts to provide meat analog products were developed around a simplified model of natural meat which comprised a system of fiber held together by a suitable binder. To simulate the fibrous texture of natural meat, synthetic textile fiber technology was applied to the preparation of protein fiber which could be bound together to form a meat-like mass.
Conventionally texturized vegetable protein has been produced by utilizing thermal plastic extrusion process, in which a mixture of a protein material, water, flavorings and other ingredients are extruded at very high temperatures and pressures. As the extrudate passes out of the extruder it expands to form a fibrous cellular structure. Upon rehydration the fibrous texturized protein product possesses an appearance and mouthful similar to cooked meat pieces. Patents disclosing thermal plastic extrusion techniques for the forming of texturized protein meat analog are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,770, granted Jan. 6, 1970, to Atkinson; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,858, granted Feb. 24, 1970, to Jenkins.
Textured proteins are generally obtained in the form of particles, for example, fiber pieces, fiber extrudate filament, or granules. These particles must be bound together to form shaped meat analog product, for example, beef chunk analogs and chicken analog, among others. To hold these particles together, a suitable binder is required.
Traditionally egg albumin has been used to bind the protein fibers to one another. However, albumin, when used as a sole binder in processes which involve heating and rehydration, has been proven to be somewhat disappointing, in that the product obtained has a floury and looser appearance as compared to natural meat. Additionally, albumin is relatively expensive and quantities needed to effectively function as a binder results in a simulated food product that is relatively expensive.
It has become highly desirable to replace a substantial portion of the albumin with less expensive materials and at the same time produce a meat analog product with meat-like texture and appearance. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,963 granted Sept. 26, 1967 to K. Jelson discloses a three component binder system comprising albumin, gluten and partially defatted oil seed material; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,594,192 granted July 20, 1971 to Mullen, et al., discloses a binder comprising egg white and modified soy protein; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,265,917 granted to Fabre on May 5, 1981 discloses a binder system comprising water, vital wheat gluten, egg white, dairy seroproteins and soya fibers obtained from spinning. With the use of suitable binders, products similar to meat loaf, meat chunks, hamburger patties and meatballs can be formed.
Other compounds have also been mentioned as possible binders, such as gelatin, casein, wheat flour or soya flour, starches, alginates and pectins.
Despite the efforts in the past, people are continuously trying to make the texture of soy protein more closely resemble that of meat. For instance, different binder systems and processes are being developed in an attempt to establish such end. In most of the patents mentioned above utilizing different binder systems, heat is required to "set up" these binder system, forming a cohesive mass. Heating has been accomplished in a variety of ways. For instance, the above references disclose heating in a conventional oven, microwave oven, pan frying or boiling.
The present invention utilizes a binder system and a novel process which enable the development of a texture even more closely resembling that of meat.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an improved meat analog product with texture similar to that of meat.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a binding system to give good adhesion between the TVP chunks.
A still further object is to provide a 100% extended meat analogs.
Still another object is to provide a meat analog with a protein content similar to that of real meat.
Further objects and advantages will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description of my invention.